Announcement Update to new forum software WoltLab Version 5.5

Martin and I are working on the major update to the WoltLab forum software version 5.5. This version will bring noticeable improvements in the operation of the web interface.

Of course, we first backed up the forum, data and databases to our local NAS in addition to the daily backups at Hetzner. This causes a huge load on our forum server as well as on my internet connection (approx. 1,000 gigabytes of data ).

Version 5.5 is currently already running on the test forum and we have not been able to detect any errors so far. The following posts list the noticeable changes according to the software manufacturer of WoltLab.

Many greetings

With the previous version, WoltLab Suite 5.4, we focused primarily on technical revisions and set the stage for WoltLab Suite 5.5. The focus in this version is on functional revisions of the user interface as well as usability and accessibility improvements. With this article we would like to provide a first glance at the upcoming version WoltLab Suite 5.5.

Overhaul of the User Menu

The user menu has essentially proven itself over many years in terms of structure and functionality, however, some weaknesses became apparent over time, which we are addressing directly with WoltLab Suite 5.5. The redesigned and technically modernized menu aims to eliminate four major core weaknesses of the previous implementation:

• Difficult to use on touchscreens, such as very large tablets or in the segment of notebooks with touchscreens, which has been growing rapidly over the years. This also includes “convertibles” (notebooks that can also be used as touch tablets).
• Incomplete implementation of accessibility with implications for proper keyboard operation as well as other assistive tools.
• Inconsistent appearance where functionally identical components were positioned differently.
• The color scheme was based on several related elements, resulting in various mismatches and sometimes low contrast.

New Control Panel

Control panel (blur for illustration only)

For the redesign, the focus was on creating a clear structure with systematic formatting in order to make the content quicker and easier to grasp. The menu items for the settings have been redesigned and now link to the entire section, the sub-items now only have informative character. This revision also allows a comfortable and concise operation in combination with many installed extensions.

Improved Handling of Notifications, Conversations and more

Notifications (blur for illustration only)

The menu items for notifications, conversations and moderation have been revised and use a uniform layout and control concept. The structure is strongly modeled after the previous layout to allow for a smooth transition from earlier versions. Notably, the icon buttons have been visually enlarged and offer larger click areas to make them comfortable to use on touch screens.

Desktop notifications are no longer automatically enabled; they can be enabled or disabled via the box that appears in the notifications. The box is only displayed as long as no decision has been made and then disappears automatically.

Customization and Accessibility

Color scheme in the style editor

The color scheme of the menus can be adjusted directly via the style editor, the color palette thereby allows the comfortable adjustment of all color values used and offers the familiar live preview of the appearance. Existing styles are fully compatible with these changes, but depending on the color scheme, it may be appropriate to color match the new menus.

From the very beginning of the implementation, we have consistently paid attention to enabling the best possible operation via keyboard as well as via assistive devices (for example, screen readers or VoiceOver). In addition to the consistent use of suitable ARIA attributes, this is also achieved through active focus management. For developers, we have created a safe API that can be used to provide their own content in the menu while maintaining accessibility.

Improved Page Header on Smartphones and Tablets

Page header (smartphone, blur for illustration only)

The page header has been redesigned to provide a much better user experience and more functionality. The logo has been moved to the left side and has more room due to adjusted spacing, so that even wide logos can be incorporated in a meaningful way. On the right side you can find the main menu, the user menu and a button to access the site search.

Main Menu with Expandable Subitems

Main menu (smartphone)

With the revision of the main menu, menu items open directly within the listing and thus form an easily comprehensible structure in which the path is recognizable at all times. These adjustments also benefit accessibility, where we were able to achieve significant improvements here. In addition, this allows us to implement a uniform operating concept together with the admin panel to make it easier for new users to get started.

Major Overhaul of the User Menu

Notifications are by far the most important aspect of the user menu and will be more important in the future. The previous menu with its countless links gives way to a tidy screen with easily accessible tabs for accessing the individual sub-items. When the user menu is accessed for the first time, the notifications open directly and are thus directly accessible without any additional effort.

Notifications (smartphone)

The revised user menus are reused in this view and integrate directly into the view, with overflowing content automatically becoming scrollable. At this point, the better optimization of these menus for touch operation in particular comes into play, offering familiar operation on both smartphone and desktop.

Revision of the Buttons for Additional Functions

Pages offer additional functions via subtle icons that are placed next to the breadcrumbs. This has several drawbacks: These icons are easy to miss for new users and because of the lack of labels they are often difficult to interpret. In the mobile view, these buttons were moved into the menu and are thus easier to understand, but conversely not immediately visible.

Apart from the icons next to the breadcrumbs, the number of action buttons (for example, “New Thread”) has also increased with each version. With the introduction of the “Official posts” function, for example, a button was added that redirects to the first official post. Having too many buttons makes it difficult to find the right one, especially for new users, and can quickly lead to frustration.

We have addressed these issues with WoltLab Suite 5.5 and have thoroughly redesigned both the breadcrumb menu and the action buttons, introducing a new location for both types of buttons. The action buttons have been reduced and there is now only a maximum of one large primary button on each page. The remaining buttons have been moved directly below these action buttons and visually reduced in size. Actions that are used more frequently are displayed as distinct buttons and other actions that are not used as frequently are displayed in a separate drop-down menu “Show more”. This makes these buttons way more easily accessible and noticeable both on desktop and on smartphones or tablets alike.

Extra Actions for Forums

Ignore Threads

In larger forums, there are often a few threads with a lot of activity that keep popping up in the recent activities or increase the number of unread threads. It is perfectly normal for users not to want to read all the threads. It is all the more annoying when a certain thread keeps getting pushed to the front even if you don't want to read it. In the past, it was already possible to hide entire forums. With the upcoming version, it is now also possible to specifically ignore individual threads and thus not only filter out the thread from the unread threads, but also hide all activities from these threads.

No notifications will be generated for mentions or quotes in an ignored thread. The existing “Users can ignore this forum” feature complements the feature to the extent that threads from forums that cannot be ignored cannot be ignored either. This ensures that important information, such as crucial announcement thread, does not go unseen.

We have also taken this feature as an opportunity to completely replace the thread subscription dialogue with a new drop-down menu. This makes selecting the thread status (“Subscribed” or “Ignored”) easier and more intuitive for the user.

Subscribe and Ignore Threads

Subscribe to Forums

Subscribing to forums has so far ensured that one is reliably informed about new threads in the forum. However, to receive notifications about new posts in the forum, it was necessary to subscribe to these threads separately. Especially when subscribing to existing forums, it was very tedious to subscribe to all threads already contained in order to receive corresponding notifications.

With the upcoming version, we offer a solution to this dilemma in the form of an additional option for forums: subscribing to forums and threads in one forum. This means that the subscriber will thus not only be notified about new threads, but also about new posts in the threads of the forum. At the same time, we have also adapted the UI here and placed the selection of the

status in a drop-down menu to make it easy for the user to make a selection.

Ignore Forums

Forums can be ignored and thus hidden via the “Forums on / off” function, but this feature had been very hidden on the forum home page in the breadcrumbs. Due to the revision of the UI of the forum subscription, there is now also the possibility to accommodate another button. It is therefore only logical that forums can now also be ignored via the drop-down menu. This also offers the advantage that the feature now behaves analogously to the new “Ignore threads” feature.

Subscribe and Ignore Boards

Best Answer

The selection of the “Best Answer” in threads has become an important and well received feature for users. This is intended to help third parties find the answer to their question, especially in more complex and longer threads, and thus orient themselves in the thread. The feature “Mark threads as done” provides visual clues and filter capability to easily recognize questions that have not been (fully) answered yet.

However, as soon as a best answer has been marked in a thread, the thread is usually resolved for the user. Therefore, it is only logical to mark the thread with the Best Answer as Done. This convenient automation avoids the hassle of doing it manually and keeps the list of unresolved threads clean.

Global "Create Threads" Button

Users often register in forums to ask questions. It is all the more frustrating when the new user cannot find a way to open a new thread and gives up after some searching and eventually leaves the site to look somewhere else. To make it easier for new users to open a thread, there is now a global “Create Thread” button on the forum list. As soon as this button is pressed, an overlay opens with the selection of the desired forum. As soon as the forum is selected here, the user is redirected to the “Create Thread” form for the corresponding forum and can thus ask their question quickly and easily.

Better Performance and Increased Security

New and improved functions are traditionally in the proverbial spotlight and are immediately tangible for many users. However, we consider it no less important that page views and actions are always as fast as possible. This not only leads to a significantly better user experience but also has a positive effect on search engine rankings.

We rely on a combination of technical innovations, such as targeted "lazy loading" of graphics, where images in the non-visible part of the page are loaded in the background only after a delay, and the review of internal processes to improve performance. Through careful evaluations and intelligent optimizations, we were able to speed up the average page loading times by up to 7%.

We have further improved our high security standards and implemented targeted measures that both address rather unusual attack patterns, such as “BREACH” attacks, and proactively provide protection against future threats. For particularly sensitive websites, we have added an additional security level to the password strength check.

Other Improvements Briefly Presented

Improved detection of lost attachments

In the past, file attachments were sometimes no longer linked due to a reload of the page when creating a post. Uploaded, but not yet finally saved, file attachments are now better marked internally and automatically linked to the corresponding posts.

Change of the installation directory in rescue mode

The rescue mode automatically detects changes to installation directories and can update them directly in the database - no manual changes in the database are required anymore.

Rebuild all data in one run

The "Rebuild All" option performs all actions one after the other fully automatically.

Direct link to media file

A direct link to the file is now displayed in the list of media.

User quick search

The quick search option is now available in the "Search users" form.

Better linking of preview graphics of file attachments

Smaller graphics have been given a larger click area, making them easier to access.

More recipients of moderation comment notifications

Notifications about new comments on moderation entries are now delivered to all authorized moderators.

Simplified uninstallation of packages

Uninstalling a package is possible via the package‘s page, the detour via the package list is no longer necessary.

Permission for maximum comment length

The length of comments can now be limited via a group permission.

Title attribute in media manager

The title of a medium is additionally provided using the title tooltip to make it easier to distinguish between long titles.

Linking of comment section in articles

The comment counter of articles now links to the comment section.

Filtering of event participations

The list of own event participations can be filtered by a calendar category.

Number of events per category

The list of categories in the list of upcoming events shows the number of events per category.

Easier creation of events

By double-clicking, an event can now be created directly in the weekly view and the year view.

Filtering of events by category

The filter by category is now preserved when switching between different views in the calendar.

Better display of event date

In search results as well as in recent activities, the date of the event is now better displayed.

Export of individual events

Individual events can be downloaded as a file in vCal format for convenient import into an external calendar or for sharing.

Disabled call counter for disabled content

The call counter of, for example, articles is no longer incremented when accessing disabled entries.

Larger nesting of Filebase categories possible

The maximum nesting depth of Filebase categories has been increased to ten.

Rich embeds for RSS feeds

Forum posts imported via RSS feed now use the rich embed function for display.

Online status in user management

The list of users in the user management now shows their online status.

Revised file list

The display of the file list in the filebase has been visually revised.

Marking of unread threads in boxes

Unread threads in boxes are now consistently marked as unread.

Perma-link for conversations

The date indicator in conversations now also links to itself with a perma-link.

Article comment notifications

Subscriptions to article categories now also receive notifications of new article comments.

Automatic done marking of threads

Threads are automatically marked as done when a post from the thread is selected as the best reply.

Show boxes only in specific forums

Boxes can be configured to show only in selected forums.

Email log filtering

The email log can now be filtered by message ID.

Simplified user management

The actions for deleting, deactivating and similar options are now also available in the form for editing users.

More details in the moderation log

Opening closed threads and restoring deleted threads has been added to the moderation log.

Improved search results in the admin panel

The search in the admin panel displays more results and also uses more space for display.

Notice about pending account deletion

If a user has activated the deletion of his account, he will now receive a notice on all pages that the deletion of his account is pending.

Filtering of media without category

In the media management you can filter for media without category assignment.

Embedding content in "About me" text and comments

Content from other parts of the software, such as gallery images, can now be embedded in the "About me" text and comments.

Notifications about responses to article comments

Authors of article comments and replies to comments are now notified about reactions.